


Sugar Cookie

by Lizzie_Tempest



Series: T-shirts [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, F/M, Gaster - Freeform, Gaster Needs a Hug, Grillby needs a hug, Grillby's Backstory, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Tagging, Mettaton Needs A Hug, Minor Character Death, Muffet's backstory, OCs - Freeform, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Papyrus Needs A Hug, Protective Grillby, Protective Muffet, Sad Mettaton, So many tags, Soulmates, Tags Are Hard, Underfell Grillby, Underfell Mettaton, Underfell Muffet, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans, flower shop, ghost - Freeform, give him all the hugs, i suck at science xD, reader from Cookie, riverperson - Freeform, takes place in Cookie universe xD, these tags are getting out of hand, tra la la, underfell alphys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-03-17 09:58:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13656645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizzie_Tempest/pseuds/Lizzie_Tempest
Summary: One-shots based in the same universe as my other story Cookie.  But this time the one-shots are requested by you guys.





	1. Two Negatives Make A Positive

**Author's Note:**

> Request: OOOOOH what about if Papyrus finds HIS SOULmate? Like he's a bit sad- though he'd never tell anyone the Terrible Papyrus was sad- at not having a SOULmate, and he's wandering around town in a funk and just bumps into his SOULmate? :D
> 
> the scenario in which that happens can be up to you, but I was thinking something along the lines of his SOULmate is being beaten in an alleyway by thugs and he obviously hears them, go to the rescue by merely glaring at them- he's intimidating XD- and when he locks eyes with the person they were attacking he just KNOWS.
> 
> Hope you like it UnderLust_Sins :D

Papyrus always knew what to do.

 

Of course he always knew what to do.  He was the Great and Terrible Papyrus!  He didn't need help with anything!  He could strike fear into the souls of nearly every monster in the Underground.  The surface was not much different.  And even if someone dared to put up a fight against him, well, let's just say they never lasted long.

 

And Papyrus was content like this.  He was happy.  He was....

 

...

 

...empty....

 

The skeleton didn't like this feeling he had.  This horrible aching feeling in his soul that caused him to scratch at his bones incessantly and snarl angrily when he was on his own, only for him to be met with waves of an emotion that he'd never experienced before whenever he saw Sans and (y/n) together.

 

He knew that what he was feeling was some kind of acknowledgement of their relationship.  And he was happy for his brother!  Truly, he was!  He wasn't jealous.

 

...

 

Papyrus snarled once again as he attempted to get some sleep and narrowed his sockets, glaring at the door as he heard Sans and (y/n) conversing in the room next door.  He listened as his brother murmured something and the human girl giggled softly.  Okay, so he was maybe a little jealous.  But he would rather become dust than let Sans know that.  Knowing him, the smaller skeleton would just rub it in his face by being all "romantic".

 

He scoffed.  As much as he liked (y/n), she was turning his brother soft.  There had been many times when Papyrus had walked in from a hard day of guarding Frisk while doing their ambassador duties, only to turn right around and exit his own home once he saw that his brother and (y/n) were kissing.  They had been completely oblivious to everything around them apparently, as they didn't acknowledge him or gave him any hint that they recognised he was there.

 

(Y/n) giggled again.  He couldn't take this.

 

In seconds Papyrus was on his feet, crimson scarf wrapped around his vertebra and a fierce scowl adorning his skull as he stormed out of the house yet again.  He refused to sit and listen to those two being loved-up.  Even if that meant wandering around in the middle of the night.

 

He WAS happy for his brother.  Finding your soulmate was incredibly rare!  Something that hardly ever happened!  There were only a few monsters that had found soulmates.  The rest had to settle for....well they had to settle for second best in most cases.  Sometimes it would be third best.  Some monsters never even found a soulmate.  Like Gerson....

 

Papyrus growled and startled a few humans who were watching him warily.  They quickly scampered off, not wanting to be caught in the path of the towering skeleton that looked like he was about to go on a killing spree.  Honestly he wished he could.  But Asgore, Toriel and Frisk still needed all the monsters to play nice with the humans.  And a strong monster such as him killing whoever he could find would not really go over well with the human government.  Fortunately he was able to restrain himself when necessary.  He would work off the magic searing through his bones when he trained with Undyne in the morning.

 

As the humans ran off, he found himself being drawn back into his previous thoughts.  With Papyrus being in the Royal Guard, he had met literally everyone in the Underground.  Unsurprisingly he hadn't felt even a glimmer of romantic affection towards any monster.  The only relationships he had were the (still rocky) bond between he and his brother, and the mutual respect he felt towards the other monsters in their small group of friends.  And then there was the two humans who had come into his life.  They fit into the same category as Sans.  Family.  A strange and somewhat dysfunctional one, but a family all the same.

 

He had all the relationships he needed already.  So what if he didn't have a soulmate?  He'd survived perfectly fine without one before!  It's not like he really needed one.  And he'd never settle for second best!  Stars, no.  The Great and Terrible Papyrus was perfectly fine without a soulmate!

 

...

 

Papyrus sighed and slowed down, coming to a complete stop.  Who was he kidding?  He didn't feel 'Great and Terrible' at all.  In fact, he felt rather pathetic.  He was the only monster in the whole of the Underground who hadn't had any kind of romantic relationship.  Not even so much as a childhood crush.  Stars even Undyne had found her soulmate in Alphys!  Alphys!  Was it too much to ask that find his soulmate?  Was it too much to ask for a little baby bones to carry on his legacy, like Sans had in the other timeline?  Was it too much to ask for someone to love him?

 

He groaned as he ran a gloved hand over his skull, running his phalanges over the scratches that made up his scar.  An overwhelming weariness crept through his bones.  Was this the other reason why Sans slept so much?  Because he hadn't found his soulmate?

 

As Papyrus looked up at the stars one thing crossed his mind.

 

_At Least Sans Had The Comfort Of Knowing That His Soulmate Existed.  For Him It Was Just A Matter Of Finding Her Again..._

 

As much as he loathed to admit it, he felt lonely.  Empty.

 

Shouts from a nearby alley brought him back to his senses.  There were a few crashes, and Papyrus allowed his senses to heighten, trying to gauge the situation.  The voices were angry, shouting threats and there was one other voice.  Slightly higher in pitch, a young woman.  Angry, defiant and crying out in pain.  He didn't recognise any of the voices which could only mean...

 

...Humans...

 

Papyrus narrowed his eyes as he glared at the entrance of the alley.  Because they were humans, he normally would not intervene.  Everyone had to learn to fight back eventually.  However one thing that he could not stand was an unfair fight.  And what he hated even more was when there were three men ganging up on a woman.  If the woman was Undyne or even Toriel, he wouldn't have worried.  But they were not like every other women, they could handle themselves in a fight.  And the poor soul currently being beaten senseless (by the sounds of it) didn't have the advantage of magic.

 

So he did what he believed was the right thing to do.

 

Straightening his spine so he could use his height to his advantage, Papyrus marched into the alley.  His boots clicked loudly on the cobblestones, announcing his arrival to the humans and forcing them to slowly quiet down.

 

The three young men stared at him like deer in headlights.  Papyrus didn't even have to say a word or lift a finger.  One glare and the beginnings of a growl from the back of his throat sent the three scampering off, barely giving a second glance to the human they'd left behind.  The skeleton shook his skull at their cowardice before turning his gaze to the woman.

 

The young woman had rosy pink hair in a pixie cut, although it looked a little bedraggled after the beating.  She was wearing a black leather jacket with an image of a colourful sugar skull on the back (that was what y/n called them when she tried to explain to them) and had paired it with dark grey jeans.  Black leather boots covered her feet and were covered in buckles, several studs were pierced through her left ear and she had a single silver nose piercing.  Her pale skin was littered in bruises.  She'd curled up in the fetal position with her hands covering her head to try and protect it and seemed to be anticipating another blow from her attackers.  When none came, she cautiously pulled her arms down and lifted her head.  And stared straight into Papyrus' eyes.

 

Now Papyrus had talked with Sans many times about how he felt when he realised he'd found his soulmate (even if the smaller skeleton hadn't realised what he was truly feeling at the time).  He had heard the story again and again in great detail from his older brother.  The more loved up Sans felt at the time, the more details he would end up spilling.  Much to Papyrus' dismay and Undyne and Alphys' amused encouragement.  There were some things he would always say over and over.

 

Sans would always tell him about the singing he heard in his soul, the song that only he was able to hear.  Sans would always tell him about the uncontrollable urge to purr that he suddenly got, not that he tried to keep it in now anyway.  How he felt very overprotective and possessive over (y/n).  How his soul started beating erratically when he realised how beautiful (y/n) was.

 

All of these things were exactly what Papyrus was experiencing right now.

 

He blinked.  He looked away from the human, who was still staring at him.  Perhaps it was a mistake.  Maybe that only happened because he'd been thinking about soulmates so much.  And so when he turned back he was surprised to feel all of those feelings that Sans talked about rushing back.  Could it really be....?  As he looked into the woman's startlingly vibrant green eyes, he knew.

 

Papyrus had finally found her.

 

He had found his soulmate.

 

The woman just watched him warily as he tugged off his beloved crimson scarf, wincing when he bent down beside her and reached out to her.  He stilled his hand and offered the scarf to her so she could wipe the blood pouring from her nose and her split lip.  He didn't want her to be scared of him.  It turned out he had nothing to worry about.

 

The woman scowled and snatched the scarf off him, dabbing at her lip and then using it to stem the blood flowing from her nose as she touched her eye and cheek.  It was tender.  There would be a lot of bruising.  She just hoped she had enough make up to cover it up in the morning.  She REALLY hoped that her eye wouldn't be swollen by tomorrow.  It would be a pain in the ass to try and ink a tattoo with only one eye.  And the last thing she needed was to be sent home because of it.

 

She finally turned to the skeleton monster as the blood began to stop.

 

"Why the fuck did you interfere?!"

 

Papyrus blinked once again.  Never in all his life had someone spoken to him like that.  Undyne was the only one who ever came close to speaking to him like that and that was because she was his superior.  Even then he knew she never meant it, it was just part of her personality.  But even Sans, cocky as he was, didn't ever speak to him like that.  Especially if Papyrus had just saved him.

 

"I - FOR ALL YOU KNOW I JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE, WOMAN!" he sputtered.

 

"I was handling it!  I didn't need your help!" she snarled.

 

Papyrus scoffed and frowned.

 

"YES, YOU WERE HANDLING IT PERFECTLY!  I'D TELL YOU TO PUT ICE ON YOUR EYE, BUT THAT WOULD BE WRONG OF ME.  YOU NEED TO PUT ICE ON YOUR WHOLE FACE!"  Sans would've been proud of his sarcasm.

 

The woman rolled her eyes and handed him the scarf back, practically stomping out of the alley with the scowl still present on her face.  Papyrus didn't realise he'd started following her until he was almost blinded by the glare of the streetlights.  He looked around, trying to find where she'd gone while he was momentarily blinded.  He found her just as she was about to turn a corner and quickly jogged to keep up with her.  He'd only just found his soulmate and he would crawl through the depths of hell if it meant having to find her again.  It didn't matter that she was a human.  He loved a challenge!  And this would be the ultimate challenge for him because not only was his soulmate a human, but it also appeared that she did not like him.  In the slightest.  That's the only reason he could think of as to why she wasn't kissing his boots and singing his praises right now.

 

"WILL YOU STOP FOLLOWING ME?!"

 

"WILL YOU GO ON A DATE WITH ME?"

 

"FUCK NO!!!"

 

"THEN NO!  I WILL NOT STOP FOLLOWING YOU!  I WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH IF I HAVE TO!"

 

The woman suddenly stopped and whirled around on her heels, stomping up to him and jabbing a finger at his chest repeatedly.  Stars, the fury in her eyes...It was intoxicating.  And the angry flush on her cheeks made her look so, so beautiful...Was this how Sans felt whenever he looked at (y/n)?  If so, then Papyrus could get used to this.

 

He didn't realise that she had been speaking and that he'd been staring like a complete idiot until a very human hand slapped him in the face, startling him once again.  This human was a firecracker.  She was most definitely not afraid of him.  He found himself looking into her emerald eyes again.  He just knew that him being a monster didn't have anything to do with her fury right now.  Him being a monster and her being a human wasn't an issue to her.  He tried to do what he should've done from the start.

 

"Forgive Me For Being So Forward Human.  You Are Very Beautiful.  My Name Is The Gre - I Mean, Papyrus.  My Name Is Papyrus.  Are You Alright Now?" he made sure to use his quieter voice.

 

The woman's scowl fell.  It was as if she wasn't expecting him to be polite or even offer his name.

 

"Yeah...I'm feelin' okay now..." she trailed off quietly.

 

She had been called many things.  Hot, sexy, fine piece of ass and all manner of humiliating and degrading names for women.  No one had ever called her beautiful and been polite enough to ask if she was okay before.  No random guy she'd ever met had ever been as sincere as this skeleton.  It was refreshing.  Surely it wouldn't hurt to just give him her name, right?

 

"I'm Isabella.  I hate that name though, so everyone just calls me Izzy."

 

She looked up at the skeleton, rubbing a bruise forming on her arm.  Papyrus' skull had a light red glow.  He was blushing?  Izzy smirked.  An intimidatingly edgy skeleton blushing.  Heh, that's one thing she never thought she would see.  He was staring at her intensely.  It was almost enough to make her blush.  She coughed awkwardly.

 

"So...I'll see ya then." she called out as she turned to leave.

 

Papyrus reached his hand out to grab her shoulder gently.

 

"Wait." he pleaded.

 

He withdrew his hand and resorted to playing with his scarf which was wrapped around his neck again.  He could smell her blood on it, and it was making him dizzy in the best possible way.  He looked so nervous that Izzy raised an eyebrow, smirking as she decided to take pity on him.  He did help her after all.  The least she could do was pay him back by going on one date with him.

 

"If I go on a date with you, will you stop following me Skeletor?"

 

Papyrus nodded eagerly.  Stars, just look at him.  If Undyne could see him now she would be filming every moment of this.  This was not how the second in command of the Royal Guard should act.  Not like he cared at this moment in time.  Izzy chuckled.

 

"Meet me at the Starbucks two blocks from Mettaton's club.  10:00 am on Saturday.  'Kay?"

 

Papyrus quickly gathered up the woman's hands in his, staring into her eyes.

 

"I SHALL MAKE A NOTE OF IT, DEAREST!  I WILL MAKE SURE IT IS THE BEST DATE EVER!  SO GREAT THAT YOU WILL NOT WANT TO GO ON A DATE WITH ANYONE ELSE!  NYAHAHAHAHA!"

 

Izzy just shook her head and grinned at the laughing skeleton.  Well, now she had plans for Saturday.


	2. How Will This Work?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby has a quick temper, and isn't very patient.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cosmicArtist: DO GRILLBY NEXT :D
> 
> I'm so sorry it's so late! I had so much work to do D: I really hope you like it cosmicArtist! *hugs*

Grillby's bar was one of the few restaurants that was run by monsters on the surface, not that anybody really minded.  It was neutral ground.  A place where both monsters and humans could go to drown their sorrows in alcohol and good food.  There were the regular patrons who showed up on a regular basis.  The dog monsters who were always playing poker and jeering at humans who had the courage to walk through the door on their own.  There was the rabbit monster, Cindy who always seemed to be drunk even before she sat herself down at one of the booths.  And then there was Sans the skeleton who usually came to the bar for his mustard fix, sometimes picking up some greasy food and exchanging some kind of fire-related puns in Grillby's direction.

 

Lately the skeleton had been going with a different approach, gushing to the purple fire elemental about a human girl who happened to be his soulmate.  Now Sans wasn't much of a romantic, everyone in the Underground knew that.  But the way he talked about this girl, (y/n), made Grillby slightly jealous.  Not in a petty way like he was sure Papyrus would be.  It was just....very different.  It was nice seeing Sans smile genuinely for the first time in who knows how long.  Just because he didn't speak much, didn't mean that Grillby wasn't observant.  Finding his soulmate had done wonders for the skeleton.

 

Bitterly, Grillby wished that he could have that connection with someone.

 

It was true that he had a daughter, Fuku.  But to everyone's surprise, Fuku's mother had not been Grillby's soulmate.

 

_She had been a yellow fire elemental called Elena.  She had been such a fiery soul, too damn proud to ask for help when she needed it.  Especially when pregnant with Fuku.  No, Elena insisted on doing things herself, almost losing control of her magic if she lost control of her temper.  Which had happened numerous times.  It was usually both of their stubborn natures that caused so many arguments between them, the natural wildness in Elena and Grillby's terrible temper clashing in ways that had sent the monsters in the bar running back to their homes in fear of being dusted.  There had been times when he had actually wondered if it was all really worth it._

 

_But then Fuku was born.  The moment he saw Elena holding the tiny green fire elemental in her arms, everything else melted away.  For a moment it was just him and his little family.  Grillby grew to be very protective of them both, Fuku especially.  He would sneer and glare and increase the room temperature to uncomfortable degrees if anyone so much as looked at his wife and baby for too long.  Eventually, Asgore himself had to talk some sense into him which resulted in another heated argument with Elena.  But things were okay._

 

_And then a human fell down._

 

_There had only been one other human in the Underground; Chara.  And it had been many many years since they had died.  So the sudden appearance of a human had everyone on edge.  The young boy, wearing a cowboy hat and carrying two pistols managed to make it to Snowdin, dusting one monster before fleeing the furious crowd.  The poor monster in the firing line happened to be Elena, still weak from giving birth to Fuku.  She had been on her way home to try and hide when the human found her, she didn't stand a chance.  Grillby had grasped at his wife's remains, the dust sifting through his fingers into the snow to turn it an ashen, grey colour as molten tears dripped down his face.  Snarling at the unfairness of it all, he had handed his daughter to one of the rabbits that owned the inn._

 

_"If I find that one ember has been extinguished on my Fuku's head, I will hold you personally responsible, gut you like a fish and then incinerate you so I can serve you in my restaurant!  " was the only thing he had growled out.  No one wanted to find out how he would achieve that.  He would find a way._

 

_He didn't even wait for an answer before storming through the blizzard to the outskirts of Snowdin in pursuit of the little bastard.  Grillby would have been able to kill the human easily if it wasn't for the fact that the kid entered Waterfall.  Grillby had had to backtrack through Snowdin to catch a ride from the Riverperson so that he could intercept the human in Hotland._

 

_To be completely honest, the fire elemental couldn't quite remember what had happened once he confronted the human.  He had seen red and lost control of his fire magic in his rage, though he had to be thankful that Hotland was already hot enough that flames didn't affect it.  All he could remember was a yellow human soul floating in front of him, the hat and pistols lying uselessly on the ground amidst a pile of ashes (ironically).  With a bitter frown on his face, Grillby had hauled the soul to Asgore's castle and presented it to the king so that they could break the barrier.  Might as well give it some use, it's owner definitely wouldn't be needing it back._

 

_After the anger and hatred had drained out of him, and he was left feeling incredibly tired, Grillby trudged back to Snowdin.  All he had left was Fuku.  He would make Elena proud and take care of their daughter.  Nothing else mattered._

 

_And nothing else **had** mattered.  Until the day he had found Sans scrounging for food in the trash, trying to feed his brother.  The terrified look on the young skeleton's skull just reminded him of Fuku.  And so he had taken the boys in and shown them how to survive in the world that they lived in.  Grillby hadn't needed anything else...._

 

Grillby scowled again as he polished a glass and looked around the room.  Dogamy and Dogaressa were kissing and cuddling.  Some humans were on a double date.  Cindy seemed to have found a drinking companion in an equally drunk Aaron.  Oh dear.  That was going to be either very messy, or someone was going to get hurt...possibly both.  He smirked.  So long as they didn't break anything he didn't really care.

 

All in all, the bar fights could be quite amusing.  Stars knows how many times he's had to stop himself from laughing at Sans' drunken antics.  The only time he felt truly bad for him was when the skeleton had gotten so drunk over being upset about the human girl that he'd been sobbing and hanging onto the table.  While the other patrons had laughed, Grillby couldn't help the small swell of pride and satisfaction when Papyrus had launched sharpened bones in their direction, quickly shutting them up.

 

No, bar fights were not the problem.  The problem was something else.  The fire monster didn't know why so many monsters and humans were showing up at his bar, all loved up and drunk on life itself.  It was annoying.  When they were drunk on their lover, they weren't getting drunk on Grillby's food or alcohol.  And if they weren't getting drunk on his restaurant, then he wasn't making money.  And if he wasn't making money then he wouldn't be able to take care of Fuku.  Which irritated him because taking care of his daughter was the only thing that had mattered to him since the skeleton brothers moved out.

 

The door suddenly opened, letting in a blast of icy wind.  He growled and directed a frown towards the one who had opened the door.  And stopped.

 

It was a woman.  A tree monster to be specific.  Oh, he was so thankful that Sans was not here to see this.  The skeleton monster would've had a field day with this, there would've been no end to the puns and jokes.  But still, Grillby couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she met his gaze, not threatening him but not backing down either.  Stern in a way.  She wrapped her arms around herself and sat down at one of the booths, looking over the menu.

 

Grillby continued to polish the glass as he smirked.  It would be interesting to see how long it would take for the tree woman to finally come up to the bar to order.  He narrowed his eyes as he observed her.  She seemed to be waiting for something.  Did she not realise that it would be easier to order at the bar?  He tapped his fingers impatiently as he pretended not to watch.

 

She looked like a normal human woman, except instead of skin she was covered in bark, little patches of forest green moss covering her arms.  Her eyes were the colour of chocolate, and small branches extended from her head and ears.  The pale green leaves hanging from the branches gave her the look of a Weeping Willow, and acted as hair, a few tiny white blooms dotted around.  Huh, maybe as the weather got warmer her hair/leaves would be completely covered in the blossoms.  All she was wearing was dark blue jeans, a white tank top with a deep green cardigan and black converse.

 

And she was staring back at him, and she sent a small smile his way.

 

If Grillby hadn't listened to so many of Sans' stories about his human, then he would've presumed someone had somehow fixed the jukebox in the corner of the room when he heard the music.  The music in his  _soul._

 

But this couldn't be right.  She was a _tree!_ And he...

 

He would hurt her....

 

The glass he was holding smashed to pieces as his grip tightened.  The bar went silent as everyone turned to look at him.  He really had to hold himself together, resorting to the old exercises his parents taught him to keep control that he hadn't needed since he was first learning to control his magic.

 

"The bar is closed.  Everyone out!" he snarled.

 

All of the monsters and humans in the restaurant exchanged glances.  They knew how strong Grillby was, it was rumoured that he had fought in the war before the monsters were forced underground.  Every monster in there had seen how strong Grillby was at some point, and as such the humans that frequented the place had also heard.  None of them really wanted to be in the building any more....

 

But as everyone stood to leave, gathering their things and murmuring quietly the fire elemental spoke again.

 

"Everyone except.....you." he pointed at the tree monster.

 

She'd begun to stand until he spoke and she quietly sat back down, blinking owlishly.  He didn't bother to speak to her until the place was empty and he had locked the door, turning the sign to show that it was now closed.

 

He massaged his temple and then removed his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose (or the place where his nose would be).  He paced back and forth, massaged his temple again and then started pacing again.  Still not speaking.  More massaging, more pacing.  Repeat.

 

But the woman just sat there patiently watching him, occasionally brushing some stray leaves out of her face.  As he paced, Grillby took a quick look at her soul.

 

**HP: 500/500**

 

**LV: 1**

 

**EXP: 0**

 

_**Your soulmate is patiently waiting for you to come to terms with this realisation.** _

 

Well this was just great.  Not only was his soulmate a tree monster and should therefore not even be in the same room as him, but she was also extremely weak.  Fantastic.  How would she be able to defend herself if he wasn't around?  How would she defend herself against him if he lost his temper?  Monsters thought it was funny when Sans fell head-over-heels for a human.  But this?  He was going to be a laughing stock!

 

He growled as he finally turned to the woman, running a hand through the purple flames on his head in frustration.  She smiled again and stood.

 

"It's nice to meet you.  My name is Arava." she extended a hand.

 

Grillby took a step back warily.  He could be cruel when he needed to be, but he did NOT want to harm this monster.  He was certain he could control his magic in normal circumstances.  But, shaking the hand of a tree monster who happened to be his soulmate was bound to have....consequences, to put it gently.

 

So he just stared at her, and at her still extended hand which made no sign of dropping any time soon.  She just patiently waited for him to pluck up the courage to do something.  But of course there was only one thing that the fire elemental could even think of right now.

 

"How in hell is this going to work?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to try my hand at giving Grillby a monster soulmate, but didn't want it to be a fire elemental. I knew he had a quick temper in this AU (I guess?) and I thought that the best kind of soulmate for him would be someone who has a patient soul.   
>  So I thought I'd do something different and give him a tree girl because, well, what's more patient than a tree? It was harder than I thought ;_;  
> If you don't like it cosmicArtist, then I'll write an alternative xD (I wouldn't blame you, it seems rushed T_T)
> 
> Don't forget to comment if you have a request! It doesn't have to be one of the characters finding a soulmate, it can be domestic, angsty. Anything, so long as it's not smut. My family still think I'm a cinnamon roll ^^;


	3. You Are My Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mettaton feels a little lonely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UnderLust_Sins: so what would the Fell Mettaton's SOULmate be like? from the latest chapter I read that gives us a bit of his personality and outlook on himself, likely somebody that can boost his self-confidence and be there for him, encourage him that he's doing the right thing and doing good.  
> Probably somebody with a SOUL of Kindness as well. I mean, I could see Mettaton swooping in to rescue his SOULmate, but on the other hand with his current lack of confidence it doesn't seem likely. Maybe a Kind-hearted, flower shop working gal meets up with him XD  
> Bumps into him on the street and he's apologizing like crazy, she lets out a small laugh then realizes it's Mettaton she bumped into and fangirls a bit XD
> 
> Hope you like this UnderLust_Sins! xD (sorry it took so long)

It was a beautiful day outside.  Birds were singing, flowers were blooming.

 

On days like these, Mettaton couldn't help but feel depressed.

 

He didn't know why he felt so sad.  He was on the surface!  He finally got to see what sunshine and stars look like!  He was able to perform for both human and monster fans!  And best of all, monsters weren't trying to kill each other anymore.  Especially him.  He could be strong when he needed to be, but the robot preferred not to fight.  He'd much rather dance.

 

He should be happy.

 

So why wasn't he?

 

The robot tossed his hair out of his eyes, and sighed dramatically.  He was currently taking a break from signing autographs at a mall and it had been going rather well so far.  There hadn't been any incidents with monster-hating extremists (this time.  Last time he'd picked up and been able to defuse the bomb in time, saving hundreds of lives and gaining some much needed good publicity for monsters).  All of a sudden, Mettaton had been hit with a powerful and strange feeling of....well, he wasn't quite sure what it was at the time.  All he knew was that he felt terribly sad and that being in a large crowd of people, regardless of species, wasn't helping.  So he had requested a quick break and gone for a walk while taking care not to let anyone follow him.  He needed to be alone for a little while.

 

It wasn't until he was ten minutes away from the mall and in a much quieter part of town that Mettaton realised that what he was actually feeling was loneliness.  Which astounded him.  He shouldn't feel lonely.  He's got so many more fans now than he did in the Underground.  He had actual friends now too.  He'd only ever had his cousin Napstablook and Alphys.  But he wasn't sure if he could really call them friends.  Napstablook may be family, but he constantly hurled insults his way (that was when the ghost was in a good mood).  And Alphys had been a physical tormentor.  She had been trying to make amends for what she had done to him, and he genuinely believed that she felt sorry!  Especially because of how guilty she looked every time he flinched when she would reach out to try and touch him.  It was going to take a long time for him to try and trust Alphys again.  But he would get there in the end.

 

What had really fuelled his loneliness was seeing Sans the skeleton.  They had only met a few times when they were Underground but even so, Mettaton had been incredibly intimidated by the sharp-toothed skeleton.  He was as vicious and cruel as his brother, and an incredibly strong monster.  Both brothers were known for their cruelty and violent natures.  Sans was still somehow able to gain the attraction of female monsters, many of which he took to his bed only for him to throw them out of the house the next morning.  Not that any of them ever really complained.  It seemed to become a contest among the women of Snowdin on who could hold onto him for the longest time without him losing interest.  It was perfectly clear though that Sans had no intentions of settling down any time soon, if ever.

 

And yet on the surface when Valentine's Day approached, Mettaton had been astounded to hear that not only had Sans found his soulmate, but he was asking countless women for help.  The robot had listened to Alphys as she told him that Sans had invited, yes INVITED, none other than Toriel, Muffet, Frisk (of course), Undyne, herself and his mate's sister to give him advice.  He'd insisted they meet immediately, and having sounded so frantic, none of them could say no.  Imagine Mettaton's surprise when Sans had invited him to help as well.

 

Nothing could've prepared him for seeing Sans so panicked.  The poor thing didn't really seem to know anything about romance, let alone Valentine's Day!  And after hearing the tragic, romantic truth to the tale of Sans' soulmate....

 

Needless to say he was rather proud of the outcome.  Not that he'd been spying on the two when they finally met up.

 

Sans had been so enamoured with this human girl, that he hadn't even realised how many women had actually flirted with him that day.  The few that had been brave enough to ask him out, he'd immediately rejected, stating proudly and loud enough for all to hear that he had a soulmate as he grinned widely.  The skeleton either didn't realise or didn't care about the longing glances that were sent his way.

 

And then seeing how he was with the human girl...Mettaton had never seen him be so romantic.  Had never seen him so _happy._

 

But then it got the robot thinking.

 

Soulmates were incredibly rare, especially after Toriel and Asgore separated.  Alphys and Undyne were lucky enough to be soulmates, Dogami and Dogaressa were soulmates too.  He knew that Grillby had a wife and daughter.  His wife was long gone now, but it had been clear that the two weren't soulmates.  They just happened to not hate each other as much as they did everyone else and decided that they might as well settle for second best.  Because of this no one was really prepared when Grillby became so cruel that the only monsters he tolerated were the skeleton brothers and his daughter. The only monster who truly DID hold any power over his soul now was Fuku.

 

So only two pairs of soulmates, three now he supposed.  Out of the whole population of monsters, only five monsters had found their soulmate.  His chances didn't look very good.

 

He closed his eyes as he sighed, his synthetic black hair falling into his face as he bowed his head.  No.  Things did not look good for him at all.

 

He vaguely noticed that he was approaching a flower shop.  The place was quite remote, and had a homey cottage feel to it.  Flowers of all kinds filled the inside of the shop and there were countless bouquets lined up outside.  According to the little sign that Mettaton could see (a cheery little note handwritten in cursive) the vast majority of the flowers were provided by none other than Asgore himself.  The King of the monsters delighted in the different flowers of the surface, and so funded and worked at the store too when he wasn't involved with any important meetings regarding humans getting used to monsters.  He'd also contributed some flowers of the Underground too if the Echo flowers were anything to go by.

 

Mettaton's thoughts were interrupted when he bumped into someone, getting splashed with some water in the process.  It was a good thing that Alphys made his body water-proof.  He looked to the person he'd walked into.

 

The young woman had a mop of strawberry blonde curls that stopped at her shoulders, and the most sparkling blue eyes he had ever seen.  They looked like sapphires.  She had applied a little makeup, a delicate dusting of freckles decorating the bridge of her nose and she was wearing a lime green sundress that stopped just above her knees covered in white polka dots, a tiny white belt strapped around her waist and paired with white sandals.  The yellow watering can she'd been carrying had not only spilt on him, but the vast majority of its contents was now on the girl's dress and was laying on the ground from when she dropped it.

 

Oh stars.  He felt awful.

 

"Oh my dear, I am so so sorry, I didn't mean - I'm sorry!  I wasn't watching where I was going and - Oh dear, that's no excuse...I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen!" tumbled out of his mouth nervously, two hands coming to cover his mouth in mortification while the remaining two hands picked up the watering can, placing it to one side to stop anymore water flowing out.

 

The woman just smiled kindly, her smile seeming to give her an ethereal glow as she giggled softly.

 

"Haha don't worry about it!  This kinda thing happens all tha time!"

 

It was when she looked at him for a full minute that her eyes went wide and sparkled with admiration and awe, followed by a quickly forming grin.

 

"Oh my god!  You're Mettaton!" she almost shouted excitedly.

 

The robot smiled faintly.  She must be a fan of his.  He watched as she began to bounce up and down and practically squealed in delight, a slight accent starting to show as she began to speak.

 

"Oh my god!  Oh my god!  Oh my god!  I have wanted ta meet you ever since you made your debut when y'all surfaced!  I am your biggest fan ever!  I have, like, all of your merchandise and everythin'!  You are so cool!  And when you defused that bomb that could've killed loadsa people last month?  That was SO amazin'!  I've been tryin' ta get a ticket ta one of your shows since - "

 

She broke off and went quiet as she tried to mentally count something on her fingers.  In the end she must've given up, causing him to lift a hand to his mouth to bite his finger slightly as he tried not to smile.  She was reminding him slightly of Alphys when she has an anime rant.  The girl began her fangirling again.

 

"Er, I don't remember.  But I've been tryin' ta get a ticket ta your shows for a really, REALLY long time!  And now your here!  Right in front of me and *gasp*!"

 

Both hands began to clutch at her hair and she twirled excitedly, giggling.

 

"My friends ain't NEVER gonna believe this!"

 

Mettaton couldn't resist taking a peek at her soul.  Aww, a vibrant green soul.  Kindness.  With swirls of a golden orange throughout.  Kindness with either Justice or Bravery.  Possibly both.  Mettaton had seen a lot of beautiful things during his time on the surface, but this soul was definitely the most beautiful.

 

He watched the girl start to fangirl again.  And everything seemed to become more vibrant as he heard music.  He knew that he wasn't physically hearing it.  But he could hear it in his soul.  That was one of the things that Sans had told him about.  He'd heard music in his soul.  He hadn't heard it straight away.  Only when he realised how beautiful his friend was did the skeleton actually realise that she was his soulmate.

 

Mettaton could hear music as he watched this girl.  He almost couldn't believe it.

 

Finally, she stopped.  Strawberry blonde curls bouncing into her face slightly as she looked back up at him and smiled widely, holding out a hand for him to shake.

 

"By tha way, I'm Summer."

 

Mettaton smiled warmly and shook Summer's hand eagerly.

 

"I'd introduce myself darling, but you already seem to know who I am," he purred.

 

She laughed, inviting him inside the store for a quick cup of coffee while they both dried off to which he eagerly agreed to.

 

It was a beautiful day outside.

 

Birds were singing, flowers were blooming.

 

On days like these, Mettaton couldn't help but feel happy.

 

He had a soulmate.  And he had finally found her.


	4. What If...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> coreplant wanted to see what would happen if Grillby's soulmate had been human instead. Sorry if it's short. I just wanted to get this out as soon as possible because my laptop could literally go any day now TTATT
> 
> I hope you enjoy it coreplant!

Grillby waited until the bar emptied before turning to the human girl still sitting in her booth.  He could still hear that damning music in his soul, telling him quite clearly that the girl was his soulmate.  But surely that couldn't possible.  He had hated humans for so long after one killed his wife.  Even now that they were on the surface, he only tolerated humans.  As long as they would give him money and wouldn't cause any trouble they could do whatever the fuck they wanted.

 

A human being his soulmate is where he drew the line.

 

This just wasn't right!  This must be the universe's idea of a very sick joke.  A male human causing the death of his wife, and a female human to be his soulmate.  Sans would've gotten a real kick out of this.  Yes, the skeleton would've been thrilled.  But this could not happen.

 

It didn't matter that this human was rather attractive.  With her chocolate coloured skin and eyes, and long, deep brown hair tied back into tiny braids that hung over her shoulders and decorated with tiny white beads.  And she did look lovely in the blue jeans, white tank top and deep green cardigan.

 

He was getting distracted.  He couldn't allow himself to fall into the same trap that Sans had fallen into.  Grillby must've been staring at her for a while.  She sighed and shook her head, laughing quietly and causing his soul to flutter against his will as she stood to face him.  The woman held out a hand and met his eyes, still smiling gently.

 

"It's nice to meet you.  My name is Arava."

 

Oh her voice.  It made him want to melt into a purple puddle of magma in the best possible way.  He usually tried to keep a level head, ignoring any instinct he had at any opportunity unless it involved Fuku.  But just the thought of ignoring his instincts right now was physically painful.  And they were telling him to become more acquainted with his soulmate.

 

He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and running one hand through the flames on his head before he reluctantly shook the woman's hand.  The least he could do was be somewhat polite.  The second he touched Arava's hand he could feel himself heating up and blushing a faint yellow.  Grillby desperately tried to reign in his magic.  He might not be completely on board with this, but he didn't want to hurt the woman!

 

The fire elemental was so afraid he'd hurt Arava that he unconsciously made his flames burn a little hotter.  Any minute now he expected her to recoil in pain and start crying.  She would walk out of his bar and out of his life.  He would never see her again.  He hated how he already felt he couldn't live without her.

 

But she surprised him completely.  Instead she began to giggle before bursting out into obnoxious laughter.  He tentatively took his hand from hers, quietly trying to inspect her hand as she giggled away.  To Grillby's surprise, Arava was completely unharmed.  A few stray purple flames had danced around her fingers before disappearing into little sparks, causing her to grin and start giggling once more, watching in awe as the sparks floated harmlessly in thin air before disappearing completely.

 

His magic...his flames hadn't affected her in the slightest.  She hadn't been in any pain.  Even when his magic started getting a little out of control.  That had never happened before.  Not even with Elena.  Early on in their relationship, when they had still been learning each other's limits, there had been times when they had managed to burn each other while sparring.  It was an occurrence that doesn't happen often with fire elementals (being naturally made of fire).  It was more the intent behind the attacks that did the harm.  One or the other would always lose their temper and forget that it wasn't a real fight, just for a moment.  Which resulted in the training becoming more hostile and consequently ended with one of them getting burned.  It never really hurt him or Elena.  Much.  Other monsters however had not been so lucky.

 

But this woman, Arava, had laughed.  It hadn't hurt her in the slightest.  He knew for a fact that the heat his flames had just been producing should've at least given her a nasty burn.  Was it...could it be that she was immune to his flames because she was his soulmate?  And his soul had recognised this and automatically protected her from himself?  He truly hadn't wanted to hurt her, but he had trouble controlling his magic when he touched her hand.

 

"Hehe that tickled!  I wasn't expecting that!" she giggled.

 

"Neither was I..." Grillby murmured.

 

She gestured for him to sit at the booth she'd been sitting at.  Arava sat back down in her seat while he walked to the bar.  He felt compelled to bring them something to drink at least.  He searched among the bottles on the numerous shelves behind the bar, eventually deciding on a bottle of red wine, before picking up two wine glasses and heading over to the table.  He placed the glasses onto the table and poured some wine into each, leaving the bottle onto the table.  Then he slid into the booth so he could sit opposite Arava.

 

He smiled shyly.  Finding his soulmate made Grillby genuinely feel like he was a small ember again and asking out a school crush.  His soul fluttered nervously while also trying to reassure him that everything was okay.  This was his soulmate.  Everything was bound to be okay.  It was still somewhat strange that his soulmate was a human.  But Sans' soulmate was human, and he loved her more than anything.  So surely things would be okay.  Besides, he'd looked at Arava's soul.  She had no EXP and no LV.  And she had a soul of patience.  Stars knew that he would need someone like that to help reign in his temper and calm him down.

 

"So," he began.

 

"Tell me about yourself, my dear."

 

Arava grinned back at him.

 

"How about a compromise?  You ask me a question, then I ask a question, and so on."

 

Grillby smirked.  This was going to be fun.


	5. Are You An Alien?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request~
> 
> UnderLust_Sins: a really happy, goofy, trusting person who is able to keep up- mostly- on the intellectual for Gaster. gotta have someone who can at least understand HALF of what he says, right? he's a Gaster, Fell or not he probably goes into scientist-mode sometimes where nobody understands what he says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so overdue, it's unreal. Sorry it's so late hun! Tried to make it extra long to make up for it xD  
> Hope you like it UnderLust_Sins!
> 
> Please don't judge me for not knowing science stuff. I wish I could just explain it as magic, like I do with all the other stuff ;A;

Kat had always been different from other girls.

 

She didn't like playing with dolls, more concerned with trying to catch bugs and studying them under a microscope.  She didn't like playing princess.  She'd much rather pretend she was a doctor or scientist.  And when other kids were watching cartoons, she would be watching the discovering channel.

 

From a very young age Kat had been more concerned with learning than anything.  And this stayed the same as she got older.  When other girls were gushing over the latest fashion trends, make up, being popular and going out on dates, she was huddled in her room studying to ensure she got perfect grades.  And when taking a break, Kat would read some more.  Occasionally she would watch a sci-fi movie with some instant ramen, ice cream and popcorn (she may have been smart but that didn't mean her diet was the best.  The healthiest thing she'd ever eaten was an apple.  And that was because she was obsessed with Death Note and liked to pretend she was a shinigami when eating it.  The fact that she had also reenacted the potato chip eating scene was besides the point).

 

If she ever had some extra time then she would check the forums online for anything "suspicious or curious".  This could range from anything to UFO sightings to possible haunted locations.  But as she got older, finished college and started working as a scientist with a PHD in quantum physics and astronomy, she didn't have as much time and so had to cut down on a lot of the activities she did for fun.

 

Not that she really minded.  She loved her work.  Even if she was just mostly bringing coffee to the other scientists.  So right now, she was working on trying to prove that there was a multiverse; different universes where each decision made a difference and therefore created a new reality, like a tree with it's numerous branches.  If she could prove her theory to be correct, then she wouldn't have to serve coffee anymore and she would be treated seriously!  Just the thought made her feel giddy with excitement.

 

The other scientists had laughed and mocked her.

 

"You're wasting your time Kat.  There's no such thing.  Stick to doing what you do best, bringing us coffee.  And then maybe eventually you'll be taken seriously.  It'll go a lot quicker if you stop yapping about this stupid multiverse thing.  Give it a break."

 

The young woman had been disheartened at first and had sulked the rest of the day, stopping by the grocery store to buy her favourite bubblegum ice cream.  She had spent the evening pouting, watching animated movies and lying on the couch in her favourite alien onesie (it was really fluffy!) as she ate the whole tub.

 

But after a full night's rest and a bizarre dream where all she could hear was someone telling her to stay determined, Kat had bounced right back.  She had waltzed into the lab, beaming smile on her spectacled face and mousy brown hair pulled back into a ponytail.  She had smiled at everyone, no trace of the knock-back anywhere on her face.  She had fetched coffee dutifully, not even glancing at the ones who had mocked her.  They just shrugged.  Surely her good mood wouldn't last.  Not with the amount of knock-backs she got on a daily basis.  She'll be back to pouting in no time.

 

But she didn't give in.

 

Kat carried on with her work while occasionally fetching random objects and being sent on wild goose chases.  It was annoying and terribly frustrating.  But worth it when everyone went home early to leave her to do the cleaning.  It was a nuisance being soaked in dirty water and smelling of chemicals, then having to file papers away and wash any dishes that were lying around.  What made it so great?  Well, it gave Kat the time she needed to think and toss ideas around.  Occasionally she would pause in her chores to jot something down.  She wouldn't want to forget it when it could be crucial to helping her prove her theory.

 

This typically went on for a while.  So when monsters emerged from Mount Ebott, Kat was ecstatic.  There was magic!  Magic and monsters were real!  And if they were real, then surely something like a multiverse could exist too!  Hell, even aliens could exist now!

 

It really boosted her confidence.  There was an extra bounce in her step and she was able to find the silver lining in every situation.  She really hoped that she could meet a monster one day.  It didn't take that long for her wish to be granted.

 

Alphys was the first monster that Kat had the pleasure of meeting.  She liked Alphys.  The two became fast friends very quickly, both being the social outcasts of the workplace.  The other scientists practically shunned Alphys at every opportunity, only speaking to her when necessary.  Out of fear or disgust, no one was entirely sure.  But the lizard monster's presence practically screamed "mad scientist".  Of course, being left alone seemed to suit Alphys perfectly fine.  She didn't want to speak to a load of rude racist humans anyway.  So she spoke to the one human who actually made an effort.  Which happened to be Kat.

 

Naturally the woman was ecstatic to be friends with a monster, even if she did have some slightly disturbing theories sometimes.  Luckily she hadn't actually tested any of them.  Kat had always talked her out of any schemes she seemed to be cooking up.  It was quite easy to distract Alphys.  All she had to do was mention anime of some kind and Alphys would go off on a tangent.  The two would then spend their lunch hour huddled together at a table away from their other co-workers, debating who would win in a fight: Mew Mew or Sailor Moon; recommending new anime to each other, planning marathon nights.  All while eating instant noodles and drinking coffee.  Lots of coffee.

 

Usual weaboo stuff.  Oh, and drawing.  They did a lot of drawing.  Mostly anime drawings of themselves being magical girls, going on adventures and defeating the evil science monsters (who bore a striking resemblance to most of their co-workers.  Their manga now had fifty pages and was gaining popularity on Tumblr).

 

Somehow Kat ended up telling Alphys about her multiverse theory.  She remembered praying that Alphys wouldn't laugh, or would at least still want to be friends.  She was pleasantly surprised when the lizard monster paused, chewing on her food thoughtfully.  When she was finished Alphys began to speak.

 

"You know, you could be onto something."

 

Kat blinked.  All she had ever wanted was someone to believe her.  Well she wanted to prove her theory was right, but when a person has been mocked for so long and then just one person believes in them, THAT becomes the best thing in the world.  Her eyes began to tear up behind her glasses as she gave a watery smile.  Alphys gave her a gentle pat on the arm, smiling at her friend.

 

"I'll help you."

 

 

* * *

 

 

It had been slow at first.  But it was possible that she was finally making some progress.  It had been hard to find a place to even start.  Even Alphys had been at a loss as to where to begin.  Then one particular morning, she came into the lab looking upset, thoughtful and intrigued.  On spotting Kat, she had headed straight for her.  The lizard monster grabbed her by the arms and looked straight into her eyes.

 

"I think I've found something.  Something along the same lines of what you're proposing."

 

Kat could hear her own heartbeat thundering loudly.  Could it be?  Surely her friend wouldn't joke about this.  Not after all the marathons and cosplay karaoke at the lizard monster's house.  Something about Alphys' sombre expression just told her that she wasn't joking about this.

 

What Alphys told her friend was top secret.  Only a few humans and a handful of monsters even knew about this.  So Kat was sworn to secrecy.  None of this could come out to the public or all hell would break loose.  No one else could know.

 

What Alphys had discovered from "other sources" was that there was, at the least, one other universe.  One where the monsters didn't look so edgy, where they didn't hate each other and were kind towards everyone.  A universe where they were very different from what they are now.  Not a lot of the details were spilled, Alphys preferred not to tell.  She said it was someone else's story and then left it at that.  Which was fair enough.

 

But Kat was excited.  This really was something worth looking into.  As she listened, Alphys explained that there had also been at least one universe where the monsters had never surfaced.  The reason being that they had all been murdered in cold blood.  Betrayed by a demon that had taken the form of one of their friends.  She didn't say who it was.  But by the haunted look on her face it had to be someone close to her.  So Kat didn't ask any questions.  Just allowed Alphys to explain what she could.  Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Kat started working later than ever after that.  Determined to get some kind of proof of different universes.  No one really seemed to notice (or care) that she was working late.  She'd start off just cleaning like she always did.  But when everyone was gone and all the cleaning was done, she'd get straight to work.  Writing equations, coming up with different scenarios.  Sometimes she would try and focus on something that would allow her to see into another universe.  Just one would be enough.

 

It was only when she had hit a dead end and had given into a break, sipping coffee and filling in a sudoku in the paper that she noticed something odd.  Any other day she would've probably just brushed it off.  But after what Alphys told her, after how determined she became to find proof, she couldn't help but find it strange.

 

This particular night Kat had decided to take a break.  She was tired, frustrated and losing patience.  Surely taking a break and allowing her tired mind to relax for an hour or so would refresh her.  If she was lucky then she would be refreshed enough to look at things from a different perspective and that could make all the difference.  Kat was usually pretty laid back and always up for some fun.  But she didn't mess around when it came to her work.  She wanted to do this properly, leaving no stone unturned.  She knew she would find something eventually.  It was just a matter of looking at certain things in the right way and having a lot of patience.

 

Unfortunately, she wasn't naturally a patient person.  And during times when things felt like too much was going wrong (like now), she knew she had to take a step back and calm down.  So she'd decided to call it a night and head home, intending to work extra hard the next day.  She had made some coffee, changed into some fluffy pyjamas (despite the heat the start of summer was bringing) and had watched Guardians of the Galaxy followed by Deadpool.  She might as well get some laughs in....that and she may or may not have a teensy crush on Chris Pratt.  But what Alphys didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

 

At some point she had started filling in the sudoku and occasionally chewing on her pencil.  Ten minutes into the activity she had realised that she'd managed to fill in a blank square full of numbers.  Huh, it usually took her longer.  She couldn't help but feel quite pleased with herself.  Grinning to herself, Kat put the paper to one side and went to the kitchen to get a quick snack.

 

It was only when she came back with a bag of potato chips and picked up the paper again, intending to continue the puzzle, that she noticed something rather....odd.  Kat frowned, looking at the square that had been previously full of numbers.  It was blank again.  Which was impossible.  She definitely didn't imagine it.  She could remember filling in each individual number.  So how could it be blank again?  Very curious.  Something told her to look at the clock on the wall.  It read 10:30 pm.  But....wasn't it just 10:40 pm?

 

From the corner of her eye, Kat saw a shadow move by the wall mirror and she froze.  Nope.  Nope, nope, nope, so much nope.  She'd seen enough horror movies to know that looking in a mirror when you see something move there will get you killed.  And she quite liked staying alive thank you very much.

 

She still looked.

 

There was a shadow that seemed to take on a life of its own.  Although judging by the face, it seemed to be some kind of....skeleton?  Yes, it had to be.  The skull was cracked in two places; one crack leading from the right to the top of the skull, the other starting from the left eye and moving down towards the creature's mouth.  It looked a little...sad.

 

Naturally she screamed.

 

The shadow jumped and its face snapped in her direction and stared straight at her, eyes wide as it took in her form.  Blinking owlishly, its gaze roamed over Kat.  Confirming that she was indeed looking at it.  Then it looked around, as if it was making sure of something before turning back to her.  It lifted a single bony hand, which had a perfect circle cut out of the palm, strangely enough.  Pointing at itself and raising a questioning brow.

 

Kat continued to stare straight at it before finally getting the courage to speak up.

 

"What...what are you?!"

 

The shadowy creature didn't get the chance to form a response before she'd started speaking again.

 

"Are you an alien?!  Are you a monster?!  Are you a ghost?!  *GASP*  NO WAY!  ARE YOU THE GHOST OF AN ALIEN MONSTER?!  COOL!"

 

If stars could form in her eyes, they would've.  It face-palmed, shaking its head slowly.

 

"Of course.  The first person to see me in stars knows how many years, and it's the most excitable person next to an anime raving Alphys.  Just my luck.  Wait.  You can actually see me?!"

 

Kat nodded eagerly, grinning widely.  The creature laughed softly in disbelief.  One hand rested on its forehead as it smiled, the other resting on its chest where its heart...or soul would be.

 

"I can't believe it...after all this time....Someone sees me!"

 

The creature, obviously a male judging by his deep velvety voice turned back to the young woman.  He began to approach slowly when it became obvious that she wasn't going to run for the hills.

 

"My name is Dr. Wing Dings Gaster.  Would you be so kind as to - "

 

"Pft!  HAHAHAHAHA!"

 

He spluttered incoherently and a dusting of yellow magic flushed across his skull as he scowled at the laughter coming from the young woman in front of him.  He folded his arms.

 

"What is so funny, human?" he almost pouted.

 

Her laughter slowly died down and she wiped a tear from her eye as she calmed down.

 

"Your name is Wing Dings?  Seriously?" She continued to giggle uncontrollably.

 

He frowned at her.

 

"You find a strange monster in your house, who you have never seen before.  And all you can focus on is the fact that my name is Wing Dings?  Urgh...humans... Just call me Gaster."

 

She giggled again.

 

"Okay.  Nice to meet you Gaster.  I'm Kat.  Want to watch Netflix?"

 

Gaster tilted his head questioningly.

 

"Netflix?"

 

Kat just laughed.  He had so much to learn.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Gaster started following Kat to work.  She was a little concerned at first.  Surely no one would let a strange monster/ghost (and possible alien) into the lab where she worked.  She needn't have worried.  No one even looked twice at the monster.  Yes, he did confirm that he was in fact a monster.

 

"How come no one else can see you?  I know for a fact that there's a monster ghost, people can see him perfectly fine."

 

Gaster had just shrugged.

 

"My circumstances are....complicated."

 

That was all he would say on the matter.  Not even Alphys could see him.  But Kat didn't miss the look of sadness and terrible longing on his face.  He had reached out to the lizard monster, trying to touch her shoulder.  When his hand had passed right through her, he recoiled as if something burned him before shrinking away to a corner of the room, a miserable look etched on his face.

 

Gaster began to watch Kat throughout the day.  Mostly day dreaming.  But also observing.  Very very closely.  And he found that he didn't like how she was being treated.  As if she was just some scullery maid instead of an actual scientist.  And all because of her age?  How preposterous.  Gaster knew how smart she was, he knew how much she could achieve if she was just given the opportunity.

 

It started with small things.  Knocking expensive pieces of equipment over, spilling water over blueprints and other important pieces of paper (whoops).  If Kat had any doubt of Gaster's existence (not that she did), they had been single-handedly erased by the end of the week.  And even though she knew she should be mad at him, she was still immature at times.  Which was why she found great amusement when the boss came down to inspect the work being done in the lab.

 

He had sat down at one of the desks so the more experienced scientists could demonstrate some of the new technology they had been working on.  But as he sat, a loud fart noise had emanated from his direction.  In the silence that followed, you could've heard a pin drop.  Everybody stopped what they were doing as they processed what had happened.  Mouths twitched, but no one dared to even smile.  Kat on the other hand had burst out laughing, tears leaking from her eyes as she tried to keep from falling off her chair.

 

She had quickly been hushed and practically shoved out of the room, Alphys giggling quietly as she went with her.  It was only when the two made it to the vending machines that they started laughing again.  Once Kat began to calm down, she spied Gaster out of the corner of her eye.  He waved at her, grinning, and then winked as he held up a whoopee cushion.  Which made her start laughing again.  Antics like those happening on a regular basis made time pass quickly.

 

Before they both knew it, a month had passed.

 

The monster would stay with her to keep her company whenever she stayed late.  He would watch as Kat would study countless books and write numerous equations down on the board before standing back to stare at them, biting her lip and brow furrowed in frustration as she adjusted her glasses and began chewing on the pencil she kept lodged behind her ear.  Occasionally Gaster would pitch in with theories of his own.

 

Whenever he did, he would often go off on tangents and would start muttering about all manner of things.  He always expected Kat to be looking at him with a blank expression whenever he turned back to her.  But she would always smile and nod thoughtfully, picking up the piece of chalk to go back to the board.

 

"Yes, but I found that if you take away this number and then replace it with '2' then...." she would counter.

 

And so the debates would go on.

 

After so many years spent alone, Gaster found he really quite enjoyed having a companion he could talk to.  Especially one who could actually understand his scientific jargon.  Not many monsters could before he fell into the Core, and he didn't expect anyone to understand him now (the fact that he was invisible to everyone except his eldest son was beyond the point).  So to have a human understand him, on an intellectual level was....well, nice.  Refreshing even. 

 

It didn't take much longer for him to divulge the secret of his disappearance.  For the first time since his soulmate had died, Gaster had found himself weeping.  Kat hadn't spoken.  Just simply held him in her arms as she comforted him soothingly, murmuring how he wasn't alone anymore.  He loved her for not asking questions.  For believing him.  She really was a true friend.

 

Which brings us to now.

 

"Hey Gaster," Kat turned to him.

 

The scientist turned back to his friend, raising an eyebrow and gesturing with one of his hands for her to continue.  She bit her lip, something she usually only did when trying to figure out how to proceed with something before finally speaking.

 

"I've decided to put the whole 'multiverse theory' on hold.  Just for a while."

 

Gaster blinked, shocked.  She was....putting it on hold?  But...

 

"But, my dear.  This theory, proving it to be true is all you have ever wanted!  It is all you have ever worked for!"

 

Kat nodded solemnly.

 

"Yeah, I know."

 

"Then why - "

 

"Alphys pretty much confirmed that there was at least one other alternate universe.  Maybe there's more, maybe there isn't.  The point I'm trying to make is that, having it confirmed is enough right now.  At least for me.  I can rest easy knowing that I'm right.  Proving it to others can come later, but right now there's something more important for me to achieve."

 

The goopy skeleton tilted his head slightly in disbelief.  He couldn't quite believe what he was hearing right now.  He shook his head.  No.  All of his friend's work hadn't been for nothing.  She wasn't giving up on her dream.  She was putting it on hold for something "more important".  He scowled as he gazed at her.  She was currently spinning around on one of the office chairs, grinning widely.  Sometimes he wondered how someone as intelligent as Kat ended up being so childish.  And then he remembered the pranks he had pulled himself and couldn't help but to smile softly at his companion.

 

He waited for her to stop spinning on the chair before speaking again.  She looked a little excited.

 

"And what, pray tell, is more important than achieving your dream?" he smirked at her.

 

She stuck out her tongue at him and he laughed.

 

"I've decided that I'm going to try and help you get back." she said nonchalantly.

 

His smile faded and he found himself getting a little choked up.  This human was seriously putting her dream on hold.  To try and get him back!  But why?  They'd only known each other a month!

 

"But why?  Why would you do that, Kat?  For all you know, I could be some incredibly dangerous monster that kills you the moment that I actually come back into existence!  Stars, we've only known each other a month!  A month!  How could you possibly even trust me so soon?!"

 

He was sure this woman was being infuriating on purpose.  She didn't even give a proper answer.  She just shrugged.  He gestured toward her, before pinching his nasal cavity.

 

"That wasn't even an answer Kat.  Now please tell me you actually have a coherent answer."

 

She just shrugged again and grinned sheepishly.  Before he could open his mouth to answer back however, she started to speak.

 

"I dunno what it is exactly.  I mean, you trusted me with your past!  So I just....I just know I can trust you!  I can feel it, in my soul, I guess.  Hehe, I guess that's why we're such perfect friends, huh science buddy?" she said teasingly, jumping up and wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

 

Gaster rolled his eyes and tried to keep the yellow blush from rising to his cheeks.

 

"Urgh.  You're as bad as Gigi was." he complained.

 

Kat blinked up at him, her face blank.  She didn't say anything.  She didn't need to.  He could read the question hiding in her eyes.   _Who's Gigi?_ He sighed forlornly.

 

"Gigi is....was....she was the mother of my two sons.....and my soulmate." He whispered.

 

Seeing her friend's sad expression, Kat knew not to question it.  She knew when not to pry.  So she offered up a sad smile and embraced him even tighter in the hug, letting him know that she was there for him.  And then she stood back and smiled brightly, determination flowing through and filling her with more energy than all the coffee in the world right now.

 

"Right!  Let's get started!"


	6. Hold Back The River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaxid: Hey this might be a hard one but it would be absolutely AMAZING if u did one about The Riverperson finding his(?) soulmate. Well, doesn’t Riverperson kind of talk to himself in the game? What if his girl was a ghost only he could see?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riverperson is officially the hardest monster I have ever written for ;_;  
> Hope you like it Jaxid!

"Tra la la..."

 

Thunder rumbled as the sky grew dark.  Rain began to drizzle before the heavens opened.  The weather...the weather was a little baffling; it took them a while to adjust to the idea of weather changing.  Took them a while to adjust to the sky.  But on days like these, days when the clouds in the sky turned stormy and rain fell from the sky like the water drops that fell from the cave roof in Waterfall, days when the sky rumbled like the tiny earthquakes that were caused by the Core, the Riverperson felt more at home.

 

"Tra la la..."

 

Yes.  They felt quite relaxed now.  Rowing down one of the many rivers in the town.  They did that practically every day.  Rowing their boat back and forth, transporting monsters and some of the braver humans.  They always refused to take any money.  They were just happy to row their boat.

 

Soft weeping caught their attention, and the Riverperson looked to their side.  Near the riverbank, there were a group of humans.  Two middle aged humans stood to one side.  The male had his arms around the woman.  His wife, most likely.  The woman was sobbing, completely inconsolable as her husband wept silently.  The grief and anguish clear in their eyes.

 

The other humans were laying down flowers at the riverside, candles and even small plush animals that surrounded a photograph of a young girl.  Most of the humans were young.  They couldn't have been older than college kids and around the same age as the girl in the photo.  The rest of the humans seemed to be relatives of the grieving couple.

 

All of them were wearing black.

 

Ah.

 

The Riverperson had heard about certain human traditions.  One human had commented saying that they looked like something called a "Grim Reaper".  According to human legends, this "Grim Reaper" would kill humans and take their souls.  The Riverperson couldn't help but wonder if this legend had originally been born from someone seeing the skeleton brothers.  Or perhaps they had somehow seen the skeleton who no longer existed, and yet existed everywhere.

 

"Tra la la....as one life ends, another begins....Tra la la...."

 

The cloaked monster knew that it probably wouldn't be the best idea to hang around considering the circumstances, and so proceeded to turn the boat around in order to give the grieving family some privacy.  They had only managed to row for about five minutes in the other direction when he spotted something...odd.

 

A human girl sitting on the edge of the river.  A grey sweater and jeans clung to her tiny frame.  The girl was shivering, pale and absolutely drenched.  But the Riverperson had a feeling that it wasn't because of the rain that was still drizzling.

 

They couldn't quite see her face, but they could see that the girl was shockingly pale for a human.  Her long black hair hung in front of her face and covered any distinguishing features.  Why didn't she get out of the rain?  Was she trying to catch her death?

 

And then they managed to get a little closer.  Streetlights had started to turn on as the night began to approach.  But instead of illuminating the girl and casting a shadow where she was trembling slightly, the lights revealed that she was in fact transparent.  Almost like how Napstablook is.

 

The Riverperson looked closer, hoping the girl wouldn't notice their attention on her.  They were pretty sure that transparency wasn't a normal human thing.  But they had to look closer in order to confirm or deny their suspicion.  Luck appeared to be on their side, the girl was far too busy gazing up at the storm clouds.  The rain seemed to be going straight through her.  Almost like she was a....

 

A ghost.

 

The girl was a ghost; a human who had died and couldn't find peace.  The girl's soul may have moved on, but her spirit didn't.  And the closer the Riverperson looked, the more they realised why the girl probably hadn't moved on.

 

It was the same girl from the photograph.  The girl whose family and friends had been grieving not even five minutes away.

 

The girl continued to shiver violently.  Of all the places she could've chosen to haunt, why on earth did she choose the river?  The Riverperson knew that ghost monsters and human ghosts where very different things.  Ghost monsters didn't haunt the place where they died (they never really died to begin with; they just appear), and they could possess an object of their choosing to become corporeal.

 

The ghosts of humans were on the other side of the spectrum.

 

From what the Riverperson heard, human ghosts usually kept their human appearance.  They would haunt the place where they died, sometimes even having their death influence their appearance.  That was all that they had found out.  The humans they had encountered around the human holiday Halloween had quite a bit to say about ghosts and the supernatural.

 

If the those humans had been right, then...

 

The Riverperson glanced at the girl on the riverbank once again, taking in her drenched appearance; the pale skin, the shivering, the way her clothes clung to her skin, and putting the puzzle pieces together.

 

The poor girl.  Her death had been an accident, and would have been very painful indeed.  The poor girl had drowned in this very river.  How long had she called for help?  How long before she realised that no one was coming?  How long before she gave up?  And more importantly, how and why had they not heard her cries for help?  Where had they been at the time?   

 

The thunder, the rain and the sound of their own soul beating began to create a strange symphony that wasn't entirely unpleasant.  The Riverperson knew what this was instantly.  They recognised it from the stories and legends.  The symphony they could hear in their soul was a sign that they had found their soulmate.  The ghost of this girl was their soulmate.

 

It was a shame that they hadn't had the chance to meet each other while she was still alive.  They didn't know whether the girl would be more frightened of them now that she was dead, or if she would've been more terrified when alive.  Either way she was going to think that they were that Grim Reaper creature.  Well surely if she was going to haunt the river where she died, she might as well have some company.  And what better company to have than her very own soulmate?

 

The Riverperson cleared their throat quietly.  They didn't want to startle her.

 

She still jumped, quickly turning to face them.  She seemed to tremble even more after taking in their cloaked appearance, eyes wide with fear and brimming with tears as a sob escaped her lips and she began to whimper.

 

There was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other.  Neither quite knew what to say to the other.

 

"P-please don't take my soul!  I'm not ready!  Please!" she sobbed.

 

The Riverperson tightened their grip on their oar.

 

"Tra la la....I'm not the reaper of souls, as you so believe.  I simply ferry humans and monsters from one place to the next.  Nothing more, nothing less...Tra la la..."

 

She cocked her head inquisitively and stared.

 

"You mean...Oh my god.  You're not the Grim Reaper are you."

 

It was more of a statement than a question but the Riverperson still shook their head.

 

"I am but a simple monster, making a simple living.  Well, I would make a living if I accepted money.  Tra la la..."

 

The Riverperson was sure that if ghosts could blush, then this girl definitely would have in that moment.  They had seen Napstablook and even Mettaton blush once or twice, but those had been rare occasions brought on by the saviour of the Underground.  The child was surprisingly flirtatious.

 

The girl played with her damp hair nervously as she bit her lip awkwardly before offering a nervous and apologetic smile.

 

"I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions.  I....I only died last week.  I tried to get others to see me.  But not even the ghost monsters could see me.  You're the first one who has been able to....."

 

The monster said nothing.  They didn't really know what to say to that.

 

"Um...I'm Brooke..."

 

The Riverperson nodded in acknowledgement, simply telling the girl to call them "River".  She rubbed her arm nervously before gazing back at the sky.

 

"It's gonna be kinda lonely now that I'm dead.  I'm gonna miss all this..."

 

The monster understood what she meant about being lonely.  There were times when they felt lonely too.  But....Brooke would always be haunting the river, always be lonely.  And River's only purpose was to stay on the river and ferry people back and forth.  Despite the people who needed ferrying, they would have no company.

 

So perhaps, River and Brooke could be lonely together.

 

The Riverperson held out one of their hands towards the girl.  Brooke looked at them completely perplexed.  She must have not realised what they intended.

 

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass.  It's about learning how to dance in the rain."

 

River didn't know why they said that.  But they instantly knew that it had been the right thing to say.  Brooke's entire being seemed to brighten.  A small beam of moonlight tried to pierce the dark storm clouds as she smiled.  She hesitantly reached out her hand to take hold of River's, pleasantly surprised when she was able to get a solid grip on their hand.

 

The monster tugged the ghost girl onto the boat, allowing her to settle herself down and nodding reassuringly when she sent a nervous glance their way.  Of course she was still going to be nervous around water.  But Brooke was a ghost now.  She couldn't die again.  Even if something could happen to her, there was no way that River was about to let anything happen to their soulmate.  Not now that they had found her.  They may have missed her while she was still alive, but now they literally had all the time in the world to get to know each other.

 

The Riverperson began to row the boat again, but slowly so that Brooke could get used to the slight rocking.

 

"Tra la la....as one life ends, another begins....tra la la...."

 

Brooke giggled and made herself comfortable.  Yes, this would be a new beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain." - Vivian Greene


	7. Time To Relax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> VioletReaper wanted to see more of Gaster XD
> 
> (this was harder than I thought it was going to be. Writing in Comic Sans was surprisingly helpful)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give kudos to ariinya14, who is my new beta-reader. The amount of typos and errors she's fixed is just incredible. I never knew I was that bad haha.
> 
> Here's my tumblr. Come bother me. Please. I'm lonely: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lizzie-tempest

"Kat."

 

"Kat."

 

"Kat."

 

The young woman groaned and pulled the duvet over her head, attempting to hide from her ghostly companion, who was currently poking her in the side and chanting her name in the same monotonous tone of voice.

 

This wasn't the first time Gaster had woken her in this manner. And it most likely wouldn't be the last. But Kat had been working until the early hours of the morning for the last week, and as much as she loved her friend, she didn't think he fully understood how important sleep was to humans.

 

She heard the ghostly skeleton monster huff in annoyance and let out a small giggle. She would've loved to have seen his pouty face. However, she had just switched from a normal duvet to an extra fluffy one since the weather was getting colder. And because it was so cosy, Kat would much rather sleep the day away.

 

Unfortunately Gaster had other ideas.

 

She shrieked as freezing cold water was dumped over her, killing any chance of going back to sleep. She bolted upright, shivering and glared at Gaster's fuzzy shape as strands of her mousy brown hair clung to her cheeks instead of sticking up in the usual frizzy bedhead.

 

The skeleton bit at his lip to stop himself from smirking at his friend's expression before taking her glasses from the bedside table, handing them to the young woman so that she would be able to see properly. It just seemed to make her look more ridiculous though, and Gaster chuckled lightly. He quickly dodged out of the way of a pillow that was thrown at him before making his way to the small kitchen to make his friend some coffee. He had to extend the olive branch after waking Kat up like that after the week she had, and coffee was definitely a step in the right direction.

 

Throughout the week, Kat had been bombarded with the most stupid of all of the assignments. Gaster scoffed to himself as he thought back on what she'd had to do as he opened one of the cupboards to find Kat's favorite mug. Kat had been sent on wild goose chases, coffee runs, forced to pick up lunches for the whole team (and their assistants). She would then be sent back to pick up more food because one person or even all of them, would claim that she "got the order wrong" or "forgot to ask for extra pickles" or something else completely silly and irrelevant.

 

Gaster had almost laughed when they sent her back because she forgot the bendy straws. The only thing that stopped him was the look of annoyance that had been growing on Kat's face and the quiet growl that escaped her lips.

 

Of course, because she had been running silly errands for the other scientists, there had been little to no time to spend on helping Gaster. So he had been stuck as a phantom for the time being, and his companion had become increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress. And as much as he appreciated how eager she was to help, he couldn't help but feel concerned for his friend's health when she stayed up nearly all night working.

 

His tired friend finally entered the small kitchen and sat down at the table, immediately slouching and attempting to go back to sleep. He patted her on the back gently and set the coffee down in front of her. She may hate him for waking her on her beloved day off, but Gaster knew that if she slept all day then she would be up all night. And she would need her energy for tomorrow when the chaos started all over again.

 

He just hoped this would stop soon. He missed the energetic young woman that he knew she was. Tired Kat never liked discussing theories or having debates. And as selfish as it sounded, he was starting to get a little lonely. And bored.

 

Which was exactly why Gaster was going to help Kat relax today! At least, he was going to try. And there was no harm in that.

 

"So..." he started.

 

Kat looked up. Her tired eyes met his, looking at him but not really seeing him. She still wasn't fully awake yet, judging by the dazed look. She was always like a zombie in the morning. Gaster couldn't help but laugh when Kat had shown him numerous zombie movies. The similarities between his friend in the morning and the undead creatures had him giggling like an idiot for the rest of the day.

 

He grinned nervously at the state of his disheveled friend, hair still slightly damp and sticking up in places. She picked up her cup of coffee and took a sip, all while staring at him. The look on her face just screamed 'dear god, someone kill me now'.

 

"Now, I know you're mad at me for waking you in a...er...less than favorable manner."

 

Kat snorted and nodded for him to continue. Gaster almost sighed in relief. She didn't want to kill him. Yet. A good sign.

 

"But do not worry! We are going to have a lazy day! We aren't going anywhere! Unless you want to, of course..." he trailed off.

 

The young woman sitting across from him set down her cup and pinched the bridge of her nose. Gaster recognized the signs of an impending headache and moved to get some painkillers, only to be stopped by his friend holding a hand up.

 

"You mean to tell me. That you dumped freezing water on me. To drag me out of bed. On my day off. To tell me that we are going to do NOTHING?!"

 

Gaster winced slightly and opened his mouth to protest.

 

"Gaster, I have literally been doing nothing for over a week now! This day off was all I had to sleep and maybe even get a little something done! I'm not going to laze around!"

 

She stood up suddenly and nearly fell when she swayed dangerously. Gaster quickly caught her and made sure she was steady on her feet before helping her to the couch and bundling her up in blankets. Once he was satisfied that he created a perfectly functional blanket burrito, he sat down next to his friend and grabbed the remote.

 

"You need to rest. And you can't sleep all day, or you won't be able to sleep tonight. I lost track of the time I spent being completely invisible to people. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to handle our project taking a little longer."

 

Kat started to protest but stopped when he held up a hand.

 

"You can see me. That means more to me than you could possibly know. I care about you Kat, and I won't stand by and watch you wither away like that cactus you tried to take care of. How did you even kill that thing? They take minimum effort!"

 

Kat giggled, and he grinned victoriously. He'd been trying to make her laugh using the old jokes that Sans used to tell him. He'd always fail. It was usually down to Kat not understanding what he was saying (he sometimes switched to wing dings without realizing), him not remembering the joke properly or he wouldn't deliver the punchline correctly. Sans would've probably been impressed with how he managed to mess it up so many times. Which was why Gaster felt such joy at finally getting her to laugh. It was small. But it was enough.

 

Gaster handed the remote to his friend who quickly switched on Netflix. Soon the theme tune to Rick and Morty was playing, Gaster humming along quietly. It was catchy, and he did enjoy the cartoon. Mostly because of the science. It definitely wasn't because he enjoyed cartoons. No. He would never watch anything so childish. No matter how entertaining.

 

Every once in a while Gaster would glance at Kat from the corner of his sockets. Checking to make sure that she was nice and relaxed. Judging by the slightly sleepy smile as she cuddled into the blankets, he must've been doing his job right. The younger scientist turned towards him and raised an eyebrow in question when he suddenly stood. Gaster motioned for her to stay put and disappeared into the kitchen. Kat shook her head, chuckling slightly as Rick and Morty finished and she began to look for something else to watch.

 

Hmm. What to watch? Jurassic World? No. Gaster already talked through and debunked it. According to the skeleton, it was physically impossible, not even monsters would be able to bring the dinosaurs back from extinction _(If they had a budget for this film, they obviously blew it all on the CGI effects! I know for a fact that those dinosaurs DID NOT look like that!)_.  

 

Insidious, maybe? No. Kat didn't do very well with horror movies. Even the terrible ones made her jump out of her skin. And she had a feeling that Gaster wouldn't particularly enjoy it, either.

 

Ooh! How about a feel-good Christmas film? Jack Frost? The Nightmare Before Christmas? Kat sighed as she pushed her glasses up her nose once again and pouted. Gaster was much too serious for a Disney film (even if there were skeletons in it), and she had seen Jack Frost before. It was a wonderful movie (in her opinion). It was funny, and it was nice seeing a father and son develop a bond. But the ending would have her in tears every time. It would just be cruel to force her friend to watch that when she knew he was yearning to come back and reconnect with his sons after his time in the void.

 

Kat continued to look through the various shows, hoping that something would just jump out at her. As she looked, she noticed that her phone was flashing. She had a text. She groaned, running her hand through her slightly greasy hair. Odds are, it was someone from work, asking if she could come in for a few hours. More like demanding it. But Kat knew that the consequences of ignoring it would be more than a little severe. The assholes just couldn't give her a break.

 

However, on picking up the phone and glancing at the screen, Kat was pleasantly surprised to see that the text was from Alphys. The dinosaur monster, bless her, was just texting to see how she was; if she was feeling okay, how she was enjoying her day off. Kat adjusted her glasses once more as she smiled, sending a message back to her friend. At least one person in her workplace genuinely cared about her and her health.

 

Alphys had just asked her if she wanted to come along to a picnic they were having for the monster ambassador. Apparently, it was their birthday coming up, and the king and queen of monsters wanted to have a picnic for the child with all of their closest friends.

 

She sighed. Kat didn't think that she could technically qualify as a "close friend". Alphys had mentioned the child a few times, mostly during lunch breaks and the occasional anime night that the two friends had had. Undyne, Alphys' girlfriend, would always get involved in the anime nights. It was always plenty of fun.

 

The dinosaur monster seemed to have read her thoughts, sending another text about some of the others bringing a friend. Huh, so maybe she wouldn't be completely out of place after all. Kat bit her lip, hesitating for only a moment more before quickly agreeing to attend. She needed to be more social. At the very least, Gaster would be able to come along, and he would be able to see how everyone was. She was sure that he would appreciate that.

 

Finally, happy about her decision, Kat went back to searching. And then she found it. This was brilliant. She had seen the show a million times. It was a guilty pleasure of hers. So much so that Gaster had eventually banned it from ever being watched again. But her companion had practically given her free reign over Netflix. Which could be dangerous. The poor skeleton had found that out the hard way. And he was about to find that out again.

 

Kat eagerly pressed play, biting her lip to keep from giggling. She kept the volume quiet at first, she didn't want Gaster to hear and turn it off before she'd had her fun. As the intro started, Kat increased the volume. And then she turned her head towards the kitchen, to wait for Gaster's reaction.

 

_"My Little Pony, My Little Pony~"_

 

Kat's smile widened manically as Gaster reappeared in the doorway.

 

_"I used to wonder what friendship could be~ My Little Pony~ Until you all shared its magic with me~"_

 

Gaster stared straight at her, a deadpan look on his skull. He scowled.

 

"No."

 

Kat giggled, singing along loudly.

 

"Kat. No!"

 

"You know, I think you'd be like Twilight! You're both huge nerds, you both HAVE to have everything organized in a very specific way - AH!"

 

Kat yelped as Gaster threw a cushion on top of her.

 

"Please, if you're going to compare me to one of these characters, I think I would prefer to be...Applejack."

 

Kat quickly paused the episode playing, turning to Gaster with shining eyes. Could it be...? Had she...finally converted him? Had she finally managed to make Gaster a brony?

 

She clasped her hands in front of her chest, grinning widely as tears of pride sprung to her eyes. Gaster, having realized his mistake, sputtered desperately. His skull dusted with yellow magic as he flushed with embarrassment, covering his sockets as he tried not to look at Kat's proud expression. He quickly tried to correct his mistake.

 

"Not that I was even paying attention to it! I don't like this childish, girly cartoon and I don't know why you do! But...when you play it on repeat, it's hard not to pick some things up." He trailed off, mumbling.

 

Kat laughed once again. She never would've thought that her friend would be a closet brony. But, she wasn't going to judge or tease him. That would be mean. There was one thing that bothered her about it, though. Something that she couldn't quite get her head around.

 

"Soooo...why Applejack? You don't even like apples!"

 

Gaster flushed more, his skull beginning to look like a traffic light. Kat only just about caught his muttering about "hard-working" and instantly squealed. This was officially the best thing ever. The next time she went to a Comic-Con, she was getting Gaster a plushie of the pony.

 

She didn't have time to plan any further. Gaster whacked the cushion back into her face, grabbing the remote and quickly searched for something else. Despite protesting, Kat couldn't help but let him win this round. She was feeling better now, anyway. More relaxed.

 

At least, she was until Gaster started playing a horror movie. She gaped at him in mock horror.

 

"Gaster, no!"

 

"You left me no choice, dear. This is the punishment we agreed upon if you ever played that wretched cartoon again. You WILL watch this movie. And no, you cannot hide behind the cushions. The blankets are acceptable. They'll keep you in the burrito."

 

"That's not reassuring at all!" she whined.

 

Gaster smirked at his friend. For all of her courage, she could be quite the scaredy-cat. Hehe, Scaredy-Kat. Sans would like that one...

 

He hoped that Sans would forgive him for what he did one day. But if his son never did, well, at least he still had one friend. Gaster glanced over at Kat. She had tugged her knees up to her chest, blankets wrapped around her. Her eyes were glued to the TV, and he couldn't help but smile softly as she jumped slightly.

 

On instinct, she reached out with one hand to hold onto his. The skeleton chuckled quietly, letting her squeeze his hand when she was scared. His friend had been a shoulder for him to cry on more than a few times in the time that they had known each other. It's only fair that he returns the favour.

 

With that thought, he turned back to watch the movie, more than happy to be her protector from any imaginary ghosts and ghouls.


	8. Cupcakes Cure Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UnderLust_Sins: Muffet finds a young child out on the streets outside her shop, drawn in by the 'amazing smells' as they tell her. She finds out they're a runaway from a highly-abusive family and decides to take them in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you like it, UnderLust_Sins ;)
> 
> Have a happy Christmas everyone! I hope you all get all the presents you wanted! ^^
> 
> Kudos to my beta-reader, ariinya14. With all the grammar/typos you're picking up, I don't know what I would do without you xD

Muffet hummed to herself happily as she lovingly decorated dozens of spider donuts.  The white spider web that had been iced onto each donut went lovely with the dusty purple color of the icing.  Another perfect batch!

 

The spider monster smiled and set down her tools as she finished, taking a tray in each of her hands before taking them to the refrigerator.  She had to allow the icing to set before she could place them in the display case with all of the other treats she had baked that day.  Otherwise, it would run everywhere and ruin everything and make such a mess.  And Muffet was NOT going to have a mess in her bakery!  No, she was a professional.  Messes were not allowed.  She would be practically dishonoring her dead mother's memory if she didn't uphold the standards of the spider bakery.

 

The lavender-skinned spider brushed back some strands of hair that had come loose as she huffed with satisfaction, congratulating herself on a job well done.  She folded her arms and sighed, watching as spiders of various sizes scuttled about the bakery in order to get their jobs done.

 

_Oh...if only Mother could see me now..._

 

Muffet could remember being as tiny as the spiders crawling over the countertops.  She had always been content like that.  She would've been fine if she'd stayed like that, too.  She wasn't the eldest, after all.  By usual spider standards, the bakery (and the spider colony) should've been passed on to the eldest.  Her mother had always had different ideas, though, and instead had chosen the one spider who she thought was the most beautiful and talented.  Muffet.

 

_She could still remember the day when she was whisked away from her sisters, her mother cooing at her tiny form in her hands.  Her mother, Arania, had explained that she had to choose an heir to carry on the spider legacy.  Muffet was still very young by monster standards at the time and so failed to ask the important question in favor of another._

 

_"Why did you choose me?  Why not Octavia?"_

 

_Arania had smiled sadly and shaken her head._

 

_"In this world, it is kill or be killed.  And now that your father is gone, I fear that I will be next.  But I will protect you all!  For as long as I can!  And when I am gone, I need to know that I can rest easy.  I need to know that you all will be safe."_

 

_Muffet's training started after that.  She was schooled in how a spider queen acted and behaved.  She was shown where the secret recipes were and forced to read them again and again until she could list the step-by-step instructions as she stood up straight, hands folded daintily in her lap as her mother watched proudly, tears gleaming in her many eyes._

 

_The more time that Muffet spent with the older spider, the more she started to grow at an astonishing rate.  After the first month, she was four times the size that she used to be.  When three months passed, she stood up to Arania's hips.  And after a year, Muffet was only two heads shorter._

 

_When the two stood side by side at meetings with potential buyers, the monsters could see how similar the two looked.  They were so alike in appearance, that the only way to tell them apart was the height difference, one spider looking innocent and nervous while the other smiled cunningly, and their hair.  Muffet had kept her hair short and tied up in pigtails, to remind herself of the spiderling she used to be.  Arania, on the other hand, never bothered tying her's up, and it was so long that the jet black strands almost touched the floor._

 

Muffet sighed once again and smiled fondly at the memory of her mother.  It was the older spider's fault for not being here now.  Arania had gotten too greedy in the end.  Muffet loved money as much as the next spider, but she knew her limits.  Arania didn't.  Which was why she was inevitably dusted when she suddenly challenged Asgore for the crown, convinced that the only way to keep her clan safe was by becoming the queen of the whole Underground.  The only reason the rest of the spiders hadn't been killed as well was that when Arania turned to Muffet and called for help, everyone watched as the younger spider's shock disappeared.

 

In seconds, the monsters surrounding them saw Muffet the spiderling die.  Only to be replaced by Muffet the Spider Queen.

 

_A cold and cruel look appeared on Muffet's face as she smiled down at her mother.  The older spider cried, begging for MERCY and calling for help from the other spiders.  But they did not move from Muffet's side.  The smaller spiders recognized when a queen had reached the end of her rule.  And although Muffet was the one to deal the final blow, a cruel sneer etched on her face, she saw the tiny glimmer of regret in her daughter's eyes that only a mother could see.  And Arania knew then that she could not be angry at her beloved daughter, or her former spiderlings._

 

_Because she knew that if Muffet hadn't been the one to kill her, then the rest of the spiders would've been killed.  Arania had never been more proud of her daughter than in her final moments when she chose to kill her mother to gain Asgore's favor.  And in doing so, she ensured her clan's protection._

 

It was the hardest decision she had ever had to make.  And she hated that she had to start her rule that way.  But Muffet knew that her mother understood.  Arania would've done the same thing, after all.  A new queen can always be found.  But the clan still had to exist in order to do so.

 

The spider couldn't help but glance towards the dark purple jar that stood on a shelf, overlooking the front of the bakery.  At the time, Muffet had told Asgore that she would take her mother's dust and use it to make donuts and cupcakes for him and the Royal Guard.  Luckily, he had agreed.  What better way to dishonor someone trying to kill the king than by eating their dust in delicious treats?

 

Of course, that never happened.  The treats had been filled with the dust of spiderlings, as is tradition.  They never even noticed the difference and so the whole incident was quickly forgotten.  Arania's dust had actually been preserved in the purple jar, black gemstones decorating it and allowing it to glitter in the light.  All the spiders knew who it was and what it meant.  Arania would've loved to have seen them all have a bakery on the surface.  It's only fitting that her dust was able to watch over Muffet and the others as they worked.

 

A few loud banging noises coming from the back of the bakery brought Muffet back from her memories.  She startled slightly, eyes blinking rapidly as her head turned towards the sound.  Something was banging around outside the back entrance.  Which was very odd, indeed.  The only thing that would usually be out there would be the garbage, consisting mostly of any ruined treats or leftovers that customers would leave.

 

She walked to the back door and threw it open.  Hopefully, it would scare off whatever was rummaging through the garbage.  If there was one thing that Muffet prided herself on, it was the cleanliness and tidiness of her bakery.  And she intended on keeping that up, even outside.  Even though she knew customers wouldn't be able to see.  Otherwise, a little voice that sounded just like her mother would insist that she stop what she was doing in order to go and clean.

 

But on glancing around, she couldn't see anything.  She narrowed her eyes at the bins and then turned to head back inside.  She heard the noise again and huffed.  Muffet scowled at whatever creature was scavenging through her garbage and stalked over to inflict a very deserving punishment on whatever was in there.

 

Raindrops started to fall, drenching the spider monster in seconds, as she gazed at the sight before her.

 

A human child, no more than ten years old.  The boy was trembling, but whether it was from getting caught, the cold rain, or from how painfully weak he appeared to be, Muffet couldn't be sure.  The child was underweight, so much so that his bones were practically visible against his chocolate colored skin.  Hazel eyes were wide and stared up at her in fear from behind a pair of broken glasses, tape holding the frames together and one lens completely cracked.

 

Oh...the poor thing...

 

Muffet immediately felt her eyes soften as she took in the state of the boy.  He was clearly starving if he was looking for food in a dumpster.  And judging by his tattered clothes and odd socks, the child was living on the streets.  Where were his parents?

 

The spider immediately reached inside to pick him up.  He reminded her so much of Frisk, she couldn't just leave him.  She may have been ruthless in the Underground.  But she always had a soft spot for children.

 

She forced herself to stop and pull away slightly when the boy yelped.  He had closed his eyes tightly and was hunched in on himself, shaking terribly.  Muffet felt something in her heart break.  She recognized that action; had seen Mettaton do the same thing.  The poor child thought that she was going to hit him.

 

"There there, dearie.  It's alright.  I'm not going to hurt you; I just want to help." She kept her voice quiet and calm, trying to reassure the boy.

 

It didn't seem to be working.  If anything, he just curled up even more.  Muffet bit her lip.  If she didn't manage to get him inside soon, then he could get sick.  She didn't know how to take care of sick humans!  And if she showed up at a human hospital with a sick child...

 

That would be the end of her bakery.  And the monsters could kiss any chance of peace with the humans, goodbye.

 

As thunder began to rumble in the distance, the spider monster was struck with an idea.  She smiled sweetly, trying to look friendly and non-threatening.

 

"Dearie, would you like to come inside?  You could get dry, and have something to eat!  Maybe you could even help me make some cupcakes?"

 

The boy looked up then, curiosity and interest shining in his eyes, and Muffet knew that she'd struck gold.

 

"C-cupcakes?"

 

She smiled once more and nodded, extending one of her hands for the boy to grab.  He still hesitated, but his grumbling stomach and the promise of some real food quickly had him grabbing onto her arm, and she hauled him out of the dumpster and into her arms.

 

He blinked owlishly at her, staring at her arms.  It was then that Muffet realized that the boy hadn't seen her other arms.  He didn't seem to be all that bothered by them, though, and he didn't seem to care that she was a monster.  Which was a good sign.

 

She carried him inside, quickly ordering some of her spiders to run a bath and find some spare clothes.  She went into one of the spare rooms, one that her friend recently used to hide from Sans and sat down on the purple couch, the child in her lap.  She rubbed her hands up and down his arms, trying to warm him up.

 

"Alright now, dear, can you tell me your name?"

 

The monster smiled down at the child in her arms.  His glasses had steamed up a little after coming in from the cold, and he was rubbing desperately at them in his attempt to see.  She chuckled.  Pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket, Muffet gently took the glasses and began cleaning them, making sure to take extra care.  She didn't want to break them.  Once she finished, she placed them back on, booping his nose and giggling when he finally cracked a smile.

 

The boy gazed up at her.  Most likely trying to take everything in, an awed expression on his tiny face.

 

"Pretty..." he whispered.

 

Muffet couldn't help but blush and giggle.  He was just so adorable.

 

"Your name, dearie?" she asked again.

 

He shook his head as if trying to shake himself from a daze.

 

"Casper.  My name is Casper."

 

Humming in thought, she began to brush back some of Casper's curls, wiping some of the dirt off his face using one of her other hands as she gave him her name in return.  As she gently brushed through the tangles on his head, Casper began to relax.

 

A tiny spider scurried up to her, getting her attention and then focusing on the child in Muffet's arms.  The spider took one look at Casper's wide, glassy eyes.  The arachnid scuttled off to another part of the bakery, but not before it informed Muffet that the bath was ready.

 

She beamed and hoisted the child onto her hip.  He was such a tiny little thing.  He practically didn't weigh anything at all.  She would have to fix that.

 

 

* * *

 

 

One hour later, Muffet was rubbing the child down with a fluffy purple towel.  She had scrubbed and scrubbed at him until he was finally clean, doing the same with his hair.  As Casper began to towel dry his hair, the spider monster went to look for some clothes.

 

She was in luck.  There were still some clothes left over from when Frisk visited and wanted to have a fashion show with Mettaton.  She chuckled lightly at the memory as she pulled the clothes out of the chest of drawers in the guest room.  It wasn't much, just a lavender colored t-shirt with grey stripes, dark grey overalls, and some black socks.  She would have to buy some shoes at a later date.  And some more clothes.

 

Once she gave Casper the clothes, Muffet closed the bathroom door.  Then she sat down on the bed and waited for him to get dressed.  When he finally emerged, peeking up at her timidly, she couldn't help but beam in delight.

 

His skin was practically glowing, and she could smell the lilac from the shower cream that she had scrubbed onto his skin.  And his hair!  She cooed at how his hair fell into his eyes.  What had previously been a filthy tangle of a bird's nest was now a beautiful mop of dark brown curls.  Still a little damp, but adorable all the same.

 

Casper didn't waste any time in hurrying over to her on seeing the monster smiling and insisting on sitting back on her lap.  Muffet felt an overwhelmingly maternal feeling wash over her.  It was different and yet similar to how she felt with her spiders.

 

With her spiders, she was protective.  But it was because they were her siblings, older and younger.  With Casper, it was...different.  Was it because he was so young?  Muffet shook her head.  If she was going to sort things out, then she would need to find a few things out about her new friend first.

 

"Casper, if you don't mind me asking, where are your parents?" she asked quietly.

 

Casper just tucked his head under her chin, sniffling slightly as he gripped onto her blouse.  She didn't push him.  It was obviously a sensitive subject.  So she just held him and rocked him gently, shushing him as he wept silently and rubbed his back.  Finally, he spoke:

 

"I don't have a mom...not anymore.  My dad...he said that my mom didn't love us anymore, so she left."

 

Muffet's heart broke.  The poor thing.  But why wasn't he with his father, then?  Before she could even think about asking, Casper continued.

 

"Dad stopped being nice when she left.  He got angry.  And drank a lot.  He said it was all my fault..." the boy was almost whispering.

 

The spider monster's eyes narrowed, and she found herself frowning.  She couldn't help but wonder if that was where those horrible bruises along his ribcage came from.

 

She bit her lip.  Muffet couldn't knowingly send this boy back to his home, where an alcoholic father waited and possibly abused him.  She'd never be able to live with herself, and she found that protective, maternal feeling flaring up again.  But she couldn't force the child to stay either.  What to do?

 

"Casper...do you want to go back to your father?"

 

He shook his head, and a small smile returned to Muffet's face.  She couldn't help but feel relieved at that.

 

"Do you...want to live on the streets?  Because dearie, I'm not sure I feel comfortable with letting you go back out there!  Especially in this weather!  I'm not entirely certain how humans work, but in that kind of weather, you'll catch your death for sure!"

 

The boy couldn't help but wince, and he felt his cheeks darken.  No, living on the streets had not been one of his best ideas.  But he didn't know what else to do!  He didn't want to go and live with his father again.  If he hadn't wanted to kill him before, then his father would definitely want to now.  Casper would rather take his chances on the streets before that happened.  But even that wasn't ideal.

 

Suddenly, Casper had the greatest idea.  He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before!

 

"Miss Muffet, I know it's an awful lot to ask.  But is there any way that...maybe I could stay here?  With you?"

 

Muffet's eyes widened in shock.  That was...unexpected, to say the least.  A child?  Wanting to stay here? With her?

 

"B-but, dearie - " she tried to protest.

 

Casper grasped one of her hands with both of his tiny ones.  He looked into her eyes, pleading with her as his lip wobbled.

 

"Please, Miss Muffet?  I'll be good!  I promise!  I...I could help out around the bakery!  Yeah!  You might need help, and I could be that help!  Even if I'm just washing dishes.  Just...please!  Please, don't throw me out!"

 

Muffet couldn't help but feel distressed on behalf of the poor human child sitting on her lap.  The human felt as if he had to bargain with her just so he could stay.  Again, she tried to speak.

 

"Casper, I - The humans would NEVER let you stay here!  They would want you in an orphanage!"

 

"Which is exactly why I want to stay!  They're horrible!"

 

"You don't know that, dearie."

 

"Yes, I do!  I've ran away from one before, I'll do it again if I have to!"

 

Muffet massaged her temples, feeling a headache start to come on.  Stars, what was this child doing to her.

 

"Casper, why do you want to stay here so much?"

 

She had to know.  She just had to.

 

"Because you're the only one who has ever been kind to me, Miss Muffet..."

 

The spider queen couldn't help the silent tears that fell down her face.  This child was too young to say a thing like that.  She hugged him to her, silently vowing to protect this little soul who had found his way to her in his time of need.

 

"I will ask Toriel about the paperwork.  She was able to adopt Frisk.  Surely she will be able to help with our situation.  I'll give her a call.  Ask her to come immediately."

 

Casper just nodded.

 

"Until then, how about those cupcakes?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

 

Casper beamed in delight, and she grimaced slightly.  Looks like she would need to get a toothbrush as well.  Until then, though, they would be able to feast on delicious treats.

 

Until Casper screamed hysterically, pointing to the doorway.  Standing there was a spider.  Most likely coming to inform her that the next batch of cupcakes had cooled down enough for decorating.

 

"SPIDER!!!"

 

Casper screeched as he clung to Muffet in terror.

 

Oh dear.  The boy was going to have a bit of a rude awakening if he was as scared of spiders as Muffet was starting to realize.  Had...had he not realized that she was one herself?  She DID look a little more human...

 

Now, this might be a problem.

 

But Muffet found herself determined.  She stood up, Casper clinging to her like a koala, and made her way over to the spider.

 

It was time to introduce Casper to her little friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heh, I'm not on my way to getting drunk xD
> 
> Merry Christmas!

**Author's Note:**

> Do you have a request or question? Feel free to comment. I only ask that if you have a request, no smut or anything like that.


End file.
